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Ascend's MAX TNT WAN Access Switch Wins Top Honors From Data
Communications Magazine
Business Wire - December 16, 1997 08:00
%ASCEND-COMMUNICATIONS ASND %CALIFORNIA %COMED %COMPUTERS %ELECTRONICS
%TELECOMMUNICATIONS %INTERACTIVE %MULTIMEDIA %INTERNET %PRODUCT V%BW
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ALAMEDA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 16, 1997--Ascend Communications,
Inc., (NASDAQ:ASND) announced today that its MAX TNT carrier-class WAN
access switch has earned the Tester's Choice award from Data
Communications magazine in the largest public evaluation of remote
access server (RAS) technology ever conducted. "With 672 ports per
(system), Ascend's MAX TNT is one of the biggest and best RASs
available," said the magazine. Also evaluated for the article, which
appears in the magazine's December issue, were products from Bay
Networks Inc., Cisco Systems Inc., Multi-Tech Systems Inc., RAScom
Inc., Shiva Corp., and 3Com Corp.
"We are pleased to be recognized by Data Communications as a Tester's
Choice for Remote Access products," said Kurt Bauer, vice president,
access product management, at Ascend. "Ascend created the high-end RAS
product class with the MAX TNT, and we continue to provide the broadest
feature set in the industry while delivering excellent performance. The
tests conducted by Data Communications only scratched the surface of the
MAX TNT capabilities."
Right from the start, the MAX TNT displayed its high-performance
capabilities. The magazine noted that "...the box that pioneered the big
RAS market...(was)...one of the easiest units to set up...too many boxes
bury key WAN configuration parameters deep inside various menus...One
notable exception is Ascend's MAX TNT, which is as close to a
plug-and-play box as any we tested." The MAX TNT was also the easiest to
monitor, "especially when using the vendor's NavisAccess management
software. This tool shows at a glance which calls are coming in on which
T1s, how many calls the unit is fielding all told, and many other
parameters."
MAX TNT Scores High for Configuration, Scalability
The MAX TNT also scored well for scalability. The magazine built a test
bed with 200 33.6Kbps modems, and took measurements for 1, 50, 100, and
200 dial-up users. The magazine found that, "The most difficult part of
the test -- for almost all RASs -- was sustaining 200 simultaneous
calls. Ascend's MAX TNT had the fewest problems: Clients simply made the
calls and we offered the test data. Other vendors had all sorts of
configuration problems, ranging from malfunctioning serial cards to
routing loops to faulty Radius (remote authentication dial-in user
service) routines." The AS5300 from Cisco, for example, required "three
chassis to handle our 200 callers," but also "was outperformed by other
devices in our test," the magazine said.
Highest Capacity and Functionality in Industry
Ascend's MAX TNT is capable of providing a much higher level of capacity
and functionality than Data Communications tested for. The industry's
highest capacity carrier-class WAN access switch, the MAX TNT can scale
up to 720 channels (for E7 modules) and support high-volume,
multiservice access requirements, including analog, ISDN, Frame Relay,
and xDSL traffic and can concentrate VPNs, dial-up and dedicated traffic
in a single platform.
About Ascend Communications
Ascend Communications, Inc. develops, manufactures and sells wide area
networking solutions for telecommunications carriers, Internet service
providers and corporate customers worldwide. For more information about
Ascend and its products, please visit the Ascend web site at
www.ascend.com, or send email to info@ascend.com
Ascend is headquartered at One Ascend Plaza, 1701 Harbor Bay Parkway,
Alameda, CA 94502-3002. Phone 800/ASCEND4; Fax 510/747-2300.
CONTACT: Gallagher PR
Kevin Gallagher, 510/743-7830
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